Future Trends Impacting Public Administration

Introduction

Excellent public administration and management of public entities has always been the major responsibility of public officials and administrators of public funds. Throughout the years, the public administration has encountered many challenges and changes that impact the overall society. As the world evolve into new alternatives as is technology and changes in public policy, the administration of such evolves and changes as well. This paper intent to provide the reader with future trends and social changes impacting public administration as well as future public policy challenges for public administration.

Future Trends

Technology - The implementation of technology in organizations as in public agencies have helped developed many strategies in order to provide services even faster. Technology have also helped through the Internet to connect organizations, computers and users throughout the world. “Mexico recently introduced an advanced system of electronic tendering and procurement, and Korea is launching an electronic system for processing applications which will allow applicants to monitor any movement of their case over the internet” (Wolf, 2000, p. 690). Automation of services if properly implemented will increase overall services provided to the public. But even though technology provides with advances to improve overall services in public administration, it is also noted that provides with alternatives that violate the privacy of the public. Farazmand (2012) argues that “body scanning technologies are used these days to enhance airport security administration with efficiency, but they also violate privacy and human freedom” (p. 489). But after the 9/11 attacks, people seem to be more concerned with security and less concerned with privacy.

Public Management – The future trend for public management and administrators brings the need for providing better services to the community, increase relationship with the public while at the same time addresses their demands for better services, and increase productivity in order to remain competitive with the private sector (Barber, Levy & Mendonca, 2007). As the demand for services increases, expectations from the public also increases and the public expect better services for health care, education, and social services (Barber, Levy, & Mendonca, 2007).

Social Changes

It is well know that people are not always treated fairly and with equality as others. Constant demands for equality that goes back to the 1960’s led for the continuation of civil rights and social equality demand. Many laws and policies have been established throughout decades in order to increase social changes and equality to all. Public services should be delivered to all equally regardless of personal traits (Shafritz, Russell & Borick, 2012). Public administrators and elected officials should ensure that laws, regulations and policies are implemented and followed (Frederickson, 2005). But even though public administrators are for the implementation of laws and policies that provide social equality, the truth is that still today, we see how people are treated not equal, unfair, and without justice. “All of the contemporary social equity research and data seem to indicate that the terrain of social equity has shifted from more-or-less exclusive concentration on the equity issues of minorities to broad consideration of how to achieve social equity in the context of growing disparity between the haves and have-nots, recognizing that minorities constitute a disproportionate percentage of the have-nots” (Frederickson, 2005, p. 34).

According to Frederickson (2005) “The concentration of poor African Americans, and to a lesser extent Latinos, in low-income urban areas has had a spiraling effect on inequality as the basic elements of opportunity—access to good schools, jobs, transportation, housing, and safety—have become largely unavailable to residents of these neighborhoods” (p. 35). In other words, the fact that people are concentrated in certain areas allows for the services provided by public policy to be proven as ineffective, because the system allows for separation and segregation of certain people demonstrating inequality. “Large-scale federal government policies such as public housing, transportation, welfare reform, and educational reform have tended either to be ineffective or to exacerbate the problems of inequality” (Frederickson, 2005, p. 35).

For the future of public administration and public policy, it is recommended that public administrators enforce social changes to avoid continuance of social inequality. It is truth that there are many services provided to the public, but it is also truth that not everyone is treated equally and do not receive the same quality of services. In order to make changes in society and to at least demonstrate the intent of helping and improving the overall social equity, more research, statistics, benchmark and indicators should be done to identify areas and opportunities to provide equal services (Frederickson, 2005).

Future Policy Challenges

In the last forty years we have seeing how many policies and laws have being amended and reformed in order to accommodate more solid and fairness to society while providing and improving services. According to Shafritz, Russell & Borick, 2012, in 1776 the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all men were equal and that as endowed by the Creator they were subject to certain rights that were not supposed to be denied (p. 435). These rights are entitled to each individual and they should not be taken away (Shafritz, Russell & Borick, 2012).

New policies and laws have helped to certain extent mold public administrators and management, but it is important to understand that in order to see future changes into policies related to social equity, it is important to understand that public administrators should encourage and make this issue of equality a priority and provide with changes in policy. People should have equal access to health care and education, for example and there should be equal access without discrimination of sex, age, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Even though there are laws in equal opportunity for women, in today’s worlds the truth is that women still continue to face inequalities and disadvantages in many ways as difference in pay, lack of opportunities for promotion and recognition. In other words, the government can provide with public services efficiently, but if those services are not provided to citizens equally, then the effectiveness of the services is not going to be seen as initially intended.

Conclusion

Overall, social equity is the right that all citizens have when receiving services provided by the government. There should not be any difference in treatment because of social or economic status. Laws have been established in order to provide equal treatment to all citizens, but it is also truth that the government is still short when it comes to social equity. There are still many situations and cases of discrimination against sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation and age. Through many regulations the government has intended to alleviate or eliminate discrimination but there is still way too much to accomplish. People should have equal access to health care and education. Public administrators and management should ensure that these laws and regulations are followed and enforced to the extent that changes in behavior result in better social equality for all citizens.

References,
Barber, M., Levy, A., and Mendonca, L., (2007). Global Trends Affecting the Public Sector. Transforming Government. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from http://www.mckinsey.com/search.aspx?q=Global+Trends+Affecting+the+Public+Sector
Farazmand, A., (2012). The Future of Public Administration: Challenges and Opportunities – A Critical Perspective. Administration and Society. Sage Publications. Retrieved from http://aas.sagepub.com/content/44/4/487
Frederickson, H.G., (2005). The State of Social Equity in American Public Administration. National Civic Review, 31-38. Retrieved from http://oied.ncsu.edu/selc/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-State-of-Social-Equity-in-American-Public-Administration.pdf
Shafritz, J. M., Russell, E. W., & Borick, C. P. (2013). Introducing public administration (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Wolf, A., (2000). Trends in Public Administration – a Practitioner’s View. International Review of Administrative Sciences. Sage Publications. Retrieved from http://ras.sagepub.com/content/66/4/689